Getting Azula Home
by writteninbluefire
Summary: It's been a few years since the end of the hundred year war. Azula's escaped from the Fire Nation Mental Institute and Zuko asks someone he can trust to bring her home safely.
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N:_**_ Set post-finale and regards the possible events of The Search as water on a turtle-duck's back._ _Other than that, enjoy! This first chapter is mainly Sokka._

* * *

Zuko sits from across the table from his good friend and sips his cup of hot tea calmly. He dreads having to ask his friend for this favour, but he knows no one else he can trust to get to Azula first. In his head he thinks about how he should properly phrase his request but in the end, he decides to get straight to the point.

"I need you to help me find Azula."

Sokka puts down the cup that was halfway to his lips and stares at the current Firelord, momentarily speechless. Zuko managed another full sip of tea before Sokka recovers his composure.

"What do you mean, find Azula?" Sokka finally bursts out, "Isn't she supposed to be in the…"

Sokka trails off before he can say 'mental hospital' but Zuko answers him anyway.

"Officially, she is still there. Few people currently know that the Fire Nation princess is missing and I would like it to stay that way," Zuko says pointedly. "It would not help the current international tensions for the public to know just yet that Azula is free. She might even planning an attack against any known enemies, including the Earth Kingdom."

"An attack? Really?" Sokka asks, genuinely shocked.

"We have no idea of the extent of Azula's motivations, or her resources." Zuko declares seriously. "Though I suspect her resources may be limited from the few years she's been… institutionalised."

His words create a tense silence before Zuko suddenly sighs deeply.

"I need you to help me find Azula, and fast. My sister has more than a few enemies and I dread to think what would happen to her if these people got to her first."

Sokka takes in Zuko's words and tries to quell his conflicted feelings. He wants to honour his friend's request but at the same time, he doesn't relish the thought of meeting again the person who threatened the lives of his friends and put his girlfriend in the Boiling Rock. Zuko reads Sokka's attitude and tries a gentler tone.

"Listen, buddy. I know Azula's not anyone's favourite person but right now, I just need my little sister home safe. You know what it's like to be a big brother, right?"

Sokka meets Zuko's eyes, surprised at the turn of the conversation. He thinks about his own younger sister Katara and manages an affirmative grunt in reply to Zuko.

"I haven't been much of an older brother to Azula." At this confession, Zuko lowers his eyes to the cup in his hands, his voice softer. "The least I can do is make sure she gets back home safe."

Zuko then puts down his empty cup on the table and says firmly, "I trust you, Sokka. I cannot leave my responsibilities here to find her myself, so I trust you to please help me find my sister."

Zuko is clearly emotional but manages to tilt his head respectfully at his friend. It is a small bow to match his sincere request, as humble a bow as can be made by a Firelord. Taken aback by his friend's intensity, Sokka tries to lighten the mood by slapping Zuko's back.

"Hey! No need to be so formal there, buddy. Don't worry, man. I got this. I haven't got anything else to do anyway," Sokka laughs. "You don't happen to know which way she went though, did you?"

Zuko smiles at his friend's attempt at humour and walks over to a map on the wall.

"My secret soldiers have told me that Azula was seen stowing away on a ship headed here." He points to a port on the western end of the Earth Kingdom. "I tried to send the secret soldiers to get her before she left the Fire Nation, but she managed to successfully elude them. You probably already realise that sending the soldiers to the Earth Kingdom would be a bad idea."

Sokka frowns at the potential catastrophe that action could cause in the middle of unsettled peace talks. Sokka nods and allows Zuko to continue.

"I'm not sure why she chose to get on that ship and what she's planning to do. I'm not entirely sure about her mental stability either. Her doctors told me before she went missing that her condition was getting better. At the institution she was prevented from firebending, but you can't be too careful. She is still a very capable firebender."

Zuko emphasises his last point, making sure Sokka knew the danger.

"The ship left this morning and will most likely arrive in the western Earth Kingdom in a day or two days, since it's not too far from here. So far, Azula has chosen to keep to a disguise and lay low. No one from the public has recognised her yet, and it should stay that way. Azula may be my sister, but she is still considered a threat to any nation."

Sokka thinks about all this information and quickly offers up a plan.

"With Appa, I think I could follow the ship, that way I would know if the ship made any detours. Taking over the ship might force Azula into exposing her identity. So once it becomes clear where the ship's destination is, I will push ahead and get there before it does. There, I will follow her to wherever she is intending to go, especially if she is meeting with any old allies. Once I have Azula alone or suitably isolated from the public, I will capture her quickly and silently. Aang and Katara are going back to Ba Sing Se to discuss your peace plans with King Kuei, but I think I could convince them to make a small detour."

Sokka then turns to Zuko and asks, "Does this need to be a secret from the both of them too? It'll be difficult since they are part of this plan."

"No, I will inform them myself. I'd appreciate it if this news stayed in our circle of friends though."

The two friends shake on it, before Sokka surprises Zuko with a brotherly hug and a pat on the back.

"I got this, Zuko."

Zuko is still for a moment before awkwardly returning the hug.

"Thanks, Sokka."

* * *

"What in the name of the spirits am I doing?" Sokka thought to himself as he threw in some spiced beef jerky into his bag. He can't be going after a crazy firebending prodigy who didn't want to be found, even if she hadn't firebended in years. What if he couldn't even find her? Sokka's doubts pile even as he continued to pack.

Rope, tarp and a few more essential travelling items later, Sokka stares at the black sheen of his sword. It's the last thing he needs to tie to his pack. He grips the handle and thinks about the difficulty he and Toph went through to find it after losing it on the day of Sozin's comet. He recalls the words his master once said to him. "Creativity, Versatility, Intelligence." The traits of a great swordsman.

The memory of his master gives Sokka a renewed sense of determination. Finding Azula might be difficult, but he had to succeed in his mission. Not just for his friend Zuko, but also for the peace of the world.

"So you're only going to go after one of the most dangerous firebenders since Firelord Ozai and just bring her back here?" Katara says from the door, unable to keep a mocking grin off her face.

Coming back to the present, Sokka sheathed his sword in its scabbard and narrowed his eyes at his sister.

"Oh, you make it sound so easy," Sokka counters sarcastically.

Katara chuckles, before pulling on a mask of worry on her face.

"Are you sure you don't want our help?" she asks gently.

"You and Aang have more important business with the Earth King, and Suki is staying here to protect our Firelord Zuko" Sokka still can't get used to the title behind the name.

"Besides, I will work quicker if I travel alone."

"Is there nothing we can do?"

"Yeah, there is." Sokka grins. "Say hi to Toph for me."

* * *

Aang and Katara drop him off outside the port town so Sokka has to walk in to get to the harbour.

Sokka arrives at the port just in time to see the ship he'd followed closely come into the harbour. Dressed in Earth Nation clothes to blend in, Sokka stays a safe distance away while studying the every person that gets off the ship.

After a while, a suspicious-looking hooded figure come out from behind a cargo crate. He spots a length of long, jet-black hair peeking out of the hood and an unmistakably distinctive curve of lips. He knows he's found his target, but decides to approach cautiously. This was one catch he didn't want to scare into running away.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Finally got this second chapter up! Do review! It just motivates me more to continue writing. (: **_

_**Thanks for reading!**_

* * *

Azula shakes off the salt from the sea from her hair before pulling up her hood. She steps off the ship and lands her feet on the port of Yu Dao. She stares out at the mass of people from under her hood. When no one stops and recognises her, she lets out the breath she didn't realise she was holding. The smile she can't keep off her face is small but sure.

She had finally arrived in this godforsaken city.

The last time Azula had been free to move about as she willed, this city was under Fire Nation rule, she thought to herself. Then she let out a bitter laugh. Who was she kidding? She had never been free. Not under her father's command and certainly not in the prison she's been in until recently.

However, since breaking free from her last prison, Azula had managed to bring herself up to date on the state of affairs of Yu Dao by listening in on gossipers on the ship. She didn't try too hard at stealth for this though, and she was often caught eavesdropping. Not that it mattered; people were more than willing to share with her the current state of international politics, even as they thought her no more than a common sea wench. The city and its folk were being claimed by both the Firelord and the Earth King, which greatly affected business there, or so they said.

"Yu Dao has enjoyed great prosperity under the Firelords! Why shouldn't it stay that way?" one man had argued.

"Yu Dao is still part of the Earth Kingdom! You cannot cut away the land of Yu Dao away from the Earth Kingdom continent and join it to the Fire Islands!" another had retorted.

Secret debates got really heated on board, but Azula couldn't care less for either side. She just needed to get to the place as quickly as she could before another drunken sailor tried to get his grabby hands on her. She was tired of trying to keep the perverts away without exposing herself as a firebender. She was even wearier of the unending exchange of self-righteous political opinions, possibly more than the captain who had banned all political talk on board after having had to break up one too many fights.

Political turmoil aside, far as Azula could tell, people in Yu Dao and their businesses were still very busy.

The crowds are mainly near the ships, so Azula has to push her way through to get deeper into town. The smell of sweaty bodies carrying cargo and unwashed sailors near the docks had made her want to retch. Luckily for her, the air nearer to the heart of town was fresher, but not by much. Azula takes a deep breath anyway and sets out to accomplish what she came to this godforsaken city to do.

* * *

Sokka watches Azula move from stall to stall, seeming to engage in conversation with random stall holders and shop keepers. But as she continued, he realised she was only talking to the elderly. Finally, one old woman tells her something and points Azula in the direction of a row of metal workshops in the next street.

Sokka decides to take a risk. He climbs up the side of a building and gets up to the roof. Here from this aerial view following Azula undetected was easier, especially since he knew where she was headed now. He hops from rooftop to rooftop, which is surprisingly easy since all the short buildings were built close together. Suddenly, he realises Azula is picking up speed and making her way to a more quiet part of the town instead of towards the metal workshops. He quickly hops to it before she can get out of his sight.

* * *

The hair on the back of Azula's neck prickles. She's being followed. Just to be sure, she bends down as if to pick up something she dropped and sees a man deliberately looking everywhere except in her direction.

Azula growls in irritation. As if trying to accomplish her purpose here in Yu Dao wasn't hard enough, she now had a tail. So much for staying completely undetected, she thought. Azula picks up the pace just to be sure he is following her. She sees a hidden alley away from the crowd and makes a sharp turn into it. Pressing her body up against the wall, she sets her stance for an ambush and waits for her stalker to follow her.

As soon as he comes into the alley, Azula knocks him out with a few quick blows to the head before he realises she's behind him. The stalker is flat on the ground and Azula turns his body around to get a look at his face. Then she hisses in a breath.

"Dai Li."

She doesn't know this man's name but she recognises his face, even without the uniform. At least now she knew two things. One, the Dai Li still held a grudge. And two, they knew she wasn't in the Fire Nation anymore.

Suddenly there was a 'whack' behind her and Azula sees a second man behind her going down. She peers down at his face. Another Dai Li agent, also out of uniform, and judging by the sharpened stone in his hand, he was going for the kill. But something stopped him before he could get to her.

She looks around, but there is no one else in the alley.

* * *

Sokka manages to grab his boomerang without falling off the roof as it came back toward him. He had acted on reflex, quickly throwing his trusty weapon at the man who was about to literally stab Azula in the back. Quickly wiping the small smear of blood on his boomerang from hitting the unknown almost-assailant's head, Sokka realised two things. One, there were really other people after Azula. And two, they knew she wasn't in the Fire Nation anymore.

He watches her drag the two bodies deeper into the alley and she promptly left them there to get away quickly. Still keeping his eyes to her closely, Sokka follows Azula for a while before she turns into the street that was her original destination and is surprised when she enters, of all places, a musical instruments shop right in the middle of a row of metal workshops.

She's there for a long time before she finally leaves, and she leads Sokka to an inn right next to a messenger hawk station. Perfect, thinks Sokka. He can write Zuko a letter on his progress and get a closed space to catch Azula in before she knew he was coming.

But before he could charge into the inn and go after Azula, Sokka realised he had to first remember which rooftop he had put down his travelling pack.

* * *

Azula drags herself to an inn where she can rest. Her only lead in her search was getting harder to follow and it had somehow got her to a music shop. The owner, whom the old lady at the market said could give Azula her answers, knew nothing that Azula could use except for another place Azula had to get to in order to find more answers. It's a small village near the base of the mountains, he'd said about the place.

"It's at least 3 days by foot southwest. Faster, if you take an ostrich horse. You'll find her there."

At this point, Azula was tired of the fingers pointing which way she had to go. She just wanted to hit at least a few hours in the sack to make up for the lack of sleep she got on board the stupid ship that got her here. She was going to get some sleep before someone else tried to kill her, the ostrich horse be damned.

* * *

It was long past nightfall, and Sokka sat on the rooftop of the inn. The city below was lit up here and there with a few night lanterns. Sokka decides to use the one on the rooftop of the inn to draft his letter to Zuko. He keeps one eye on the window of room Azula was in to make sure she didn't have anymore almost-assailants. If she was just going to sleep here just like that, he was going to take the time to write a letter to Zuko telling him about Azula's two attackers before he planned to ambush her and tie her up in her sleep. He's just about finished his letter when he sees a familiar hooded figure run out into the night through the inn's back door.

"Dammit, Azula." Sokka whispered under his breath as he stuffed the quickly forgotten letter in his pack and jumped down to follow her.

It was getting darker and harder to follow her as they moved out of the city more and into a lesser used road. After walking for a while, there were very few things left to hide behind while following and Sokka was forced to stay further away from Azula to avoid being spotted. Azula was a powerful opponent, and Sokka was still hoping to rely on the element of surprise to help him.

Eventually, he relied on the light from the moon to keep his eye on Azula. Sometimes, she fell out his line of sight, but she always came back into it with the help of Yue. Sokka even managed a smile up in thanks when he loses sight of Azula again. He tries to walk ahead slowly to see if he could catch the sight of her once more, but Azula seems to have disappeared. A cold bead of sweat trickles down his back as Sokka began to fill with dread. Then he freezes.

"What are you doing following me?"


	3. Chapter 3

Azula stares at the man in front of her. It takes a moment for her to recognise him.

"You're the Water Tribe boy," she whispers under her breath. He's grown taller and his muscles have filled in since she last saw him.

Sokka shakes off the dread and holds steady. Confidence is intimidation, he reminds himself.

"Hi, Azula," Sokka manages to say coolly. "It's been a few years."

A few years? The comment picks at Azula. There's no one here, she thinks, so she decides to release some fire, letting it roll in her hand. Azula relishes in the fire that she's kept suppressed for so long, letting the energy flow through her body and pool in her palm. The threat doesn't faze the warrior before her though, and Azula growls in irritation.

"It's been almost six years." Azula draws out every word slowly. "I'll ask you one more time."

The fire in her hand flickers menacingly.

"What are you doing following me?" Azula sneers, flame in her hand illuminating her face with bright blue light. She takes a step forward, but Sokka stays unmoving.

"You may not know this, princess, but you kind of have a really big bounty on your head," he lies easily. "I'm in between jobs right now and, I gotta say, I could really use the money."

Azula shoots her fire at Sokka, which he deftly avoids without breaking a sweat, even managing a mocking smile. Azula narrows her eyes at the sheer audacity of his grin.

"Aww! Come on, princess. I could even split the bounty with you. And you get a free ride home! I'd say it's a good deal."

Sokka didn't even pause with the mocking tone as he narrowly avoids another shot of fire. Azula's frustration begins to build and she growls in annoyance.

"Fool! I can't go home just yet." Azula means to sound threatening but she surprises both herself and Sokka with the desperation that colours her tone. Sokka's expression changes with something Azula has learnt to abhor: pity. The pity on her opponent's face is like a slap to Azula and she recoils as if in physical pain.

It's a mistake.

Sokka takes advantage of Azula's step back and trips her. She cries out in pain as she lands on her foot at an unnatural angle and falls. She tries, but can't seem to get herself to stand up again. Before she can throw more fire, he has her on her knees, hands held behind her back. She struggles against him but he still manages to bind her hands together. She struggles, and Sokka doesn't realise Azula is no longer just fighting against him, but her own demons as well. Being pushed into the same defeated position she was forced into on the day she lost everything triggers a rage and pain Azula thought she had overcome. Azula whimpers as she fights the bindings as much as she fights the darkness within herself. She fights so much that the rope cuts skin. When rope bites into exposed raw flesh, Azula lets out a loud cry of pain. When she fries the raw flesh trying to burn the rope off, the loud cry becomes a long wail.

Azula screams and she gives in to the dark madness within herself.

* * *

"What just happened?" Sokka whispers to himself.

He stares at the seemingly lifeless form of Azula. Then, he turns her over gently to check her pulse and breath then lets out a sigh of relief when he finds out she's just passed out. Whatever he thought he might face on this mission, Azula burning herself and losing consciousness from the pain was really low on the long list. Watching her whimper in pain had reminded him of an injured animal but after she had burned herself, Azula turned into a woman possessed. She had finally stopped when she fainted from total exhaustion. Even if she was heartless, Sokka was not. Even if he knew he had to take her down, standing there and watching her anguish had been heartbreaking for him.

He supposes he should take care of her now.

Sokka easily carries Azula to a spot away from the road. He cuts off the singed rope bindings and inspects the rest of her body for any damage. Other than a badly hurt ankle and her wrists, Azula is fine. As he examines her, he tries not to notice that Azula is really attractive when she's not wailing in pain. He cleans the wounds on her wrists, giving thanks to the spirits when she stirs but doesn't wake. After applying a healing salve then wrapping each wrist with bandages, Sokka starts a fire and wonders what he should do next. He also wonders when he started having sympathy for an enemy.

He wonders if he will regret this kindness.

* * *

Azula awoke to the smell of home. Or, more accurately, she awoke to the smell of spiced meat. She finds herself sleeping on a soft sleeping bag instead of the familiar scratchy bed sheets of her prison and sits up straight. She sees Sokka not too far from her. Next to him is a small fire with meat twined around sticks, the source of the smell. He notices she's awoken and turns to face her. Azula immediately is on the defensive with fire in her hand.

"I won't hurt you if you put away the fire," he says softly.

She sits up straighter.

"I don't think you're in any position to make demands."

"I don't think you do either, you can't even walk. You don't even know where we are."

She looks around and realises she can't see any sign of the road they were on. Azula extinguishes her fire and tries to put some pressure on her right foot then freezes at the sharp pain.

Azula looks up and Sokka sees something that looks like fear in her eyes.

Azula thinks hard and tells herself that she has begged the torturers in her prison before. She can beg now, even if it is to this Water Tribe peasant. Before she can stop herself, the plea is out of her mouth.

"Don't hurt me."

Sokka sees the injured animal in her again.

"I won't hurt you, Azula."

This doesn't reassure her.

"If you tell me where you plan on going."

For some reason, a condition makes her relax. Azula doesn't have to beg, she can bargain. The fear disappears and a sly grin is on her lip. Sokka's gaze lowers to the curve of her lip before looking back up again.

"If I tell you, will you even let me go there?" Azula drawls with acid, but Sokka takes her up on her words.

"If you want to negotiate, fine. I'll take you there. But you have to follow me back to the Fire Nation after that, no resistance."

Azula is on familiar ground with a negotiation, so she knows to let him stew for a while she finally speaks.

"You have a deal, ponytail. No resistance."

"Then tell me where you're going."

"Don't I get some meat first?"

* * *

It turns out the meat Sokka has twined around sticks is actually spiced beef jerky.

"These are a Fire Nation specialty, you know. No where else can you find seasoned meat like this."

Sokka stares at Azula, but says nothing.

"You didn't have to fire them up, you know. Not that I mind, whatever you've done to them, these things feel almost like fresh meat," Azula continues. "You know, small talk is only polite. You can answer me back."

"I'm sorry I'm still worried you'll burn me."

"Don't worry, peasant. I don't go back on my agreements. Anyway, I won't be firebending with my burnt hands anytime soon. You're absolutely in charge here, big boy."

Sokka pays no attention to her baiting.

"Give me your foot."

"Oh," Azula stretches the syllable in a moan. "Are all Water Tribe men as kinky as you?"

Sokka ignores her as he wraps up her ankle. His hands are gentle, but the wrap is snug. Azula is at first stunned by his touch, then touched by his kindness. No, this is not kindness, Azula reminds herself. This is part of a deal they made.

"Not too tight?"

"No." It's the only word she can manage. Sokka lets go of her foot.

"Get some rest then. We'll see how far you can go tomorrow."

"You could always be my ostrich horse. We'd go much further."

Sokka looks up at her from his sleeping spot leaning against a rock.

"It's a joke. You can laugh."

Sokka manages a dry laugh.

"And you could suddenly sprout wings and fly like a giant panther raven."

"Do those even exist?"

"You'd be surprised. I've met one. Now go to sleep."

Azula smiles as she snuggles into the sleeping bag. Keeping the enemy off guard was proving easier than she thought it would be.


	4. Chapter 4

_It had been a year since the Hundred Year War ended, but more importantly, it had been a year since Azula was defeated by her brother, the reigning Firelord. He had broken her and turned away from her as if she was unimportant, leaving the guards who had once been hers to command to pick her up. Those disloyal men were the ones who dragged her to this prison they dared call a centre of healing. _

_In short, it had been a whole year since Azula's whole world was ripped from her. _

_The significance of this date kept running through her mind as she sat in front of Dr Chin's desk, arms belted down around her in a straightjacket. Behind the ominously large desk, Azula's head doctor stared her down just as she stared back. These moments annoyed Azula to no end. Chin was drawing out the uncomfortable silence in a show of "who's-in-charge", but what he didn't realise, thought Azula, was that royalty cannot bow down to their peasants any more than a mountain can bow to the wind. So Azula pinned down his tiny beady eyes until her own eyes hurt. Finally, the doctor spoke. _

_"Azula."_

_"Chin," she sneered, that one syllable full of venom. _

_"Doctor Chin," he corrected, his tone changed abruptly from cajoling to mirror her hateful tone instead. _

_Azula narrowed her eyes at Chin, but she'd known him long enough to hold her tongue at moments like this, lest he decide to tighten her bindings._

_"One of my staff nurses tells me you've been firebending."_

_"My tea was cold…doctor." Azula bites out the last word, tempering her defiance with the acknowledgement of his title. Chin merely grins. _

_"The way I heard it, you tried to singe his hands."_

_"Then maybe he should keep his hands to himself."_

_"I'm disappointed Azula," Chin said as he stepped from behind his desk. "You know the punishment for unauthorized firebending is the icebox."_

_"I'm not afraid of a little cold."_

_Now Chin was right in front of Azula, openly studying her. _

_"No, maybe not."_

_Chin jerks his head at the nurses behind Azula. They step forward and begin releasing her arms from the jacket. But before she can breathe in relief, Azula is forced out of her chair and pushed to her knees. She struggles against the burly nurses, but they manage to chain her hands behind her back. Being put into this defeated position triggers a panic in Azula, and she watches as Dr Chin merely smirked. His eyes flicker with a dangerous glint Azula hadn't seen before. _

_"See, Azula. You should know better than to constantly defy me." He brings his face right up to hers and his pungent breath hits her like a house of bricks. "You should know better than to go against someone who knows your weaknesses. And I know you hate being faced with defeat."_

_The doctor turns towards the nurses, ordering them to hold her down as he placed a strange apparatus on her head and shoved a rubbery mouth guard between her teeth._

_"Let me go," Azula tries to shout as she fights against the chains, but her words are mumbled. _

_"Let me go!"_

_"Let go of her," the doctor tells the nurses._

_"Charging up to to 5 volts. Applying 10 seconds pulsed at 5 volts per second."_

_Azula couldn't even scream in earnest as pain shot through her like lightning._

The memory of her time in the mental institution had come back to Azula as she waited to hear Sokka's breath slow as a sign of deep sleep. As soon as she heard the soft snores, she shook off the memory and got to work. After she was done, instead of leaving him then, Azula grabbed his travelling pack and sat down in front of him, waiting for him to rouse.

* * *

When Sokka awoke, the first thing he saw was the incense that he had lit to keep away animals in the night. Then he saw a boot crushing the incense and looked up.

"You said no resistance," Sokka accused Azula as he pulled against the rope tied around his wrists and ankles in front of him.

She merely shrugged and said, "It seems like the only one resisting anything here is you."

Sokka then regrets not pushing her harder to tell him where she was headed to the night before. No good deed goes unpunished, he thought bitterly as he recalled last night when he was trying to employ as much gentleness as caution in dealing with Azula. He didn't want to hurt her more than he already had but he also hadn't wanted a situation like what was currently unfolding.

Perhaps he should have exercised more caution.

Azula swung his travelling pack onto her back, about to leave.

"Thanks for the supplies," she mocks. "Didn't have enough time to get my own. Too busy trying to get rid of you yesterday."

Sokka twisted his body trying to see if he could get to his knife on the side of his belt.

"How stupid do you think I am, Water Tribe?"

Azula was twirling his knife in her hand and her voice was deliberately coloured with boredom. But the tension in her body betrayed her. As Sokka noticed Azula favouring her uninjured foot, he was surprised to recognise the tension stemmed from guilt that her eyes couldn't hide. Azula the ruthless conqueror feeling guilt was a difficult notion for Sokka to imagine, but the wheels in his mind were already turning. He quickly came up with a plan to use this knowledge to his advantage.

Sokka stopped struggling and kept his face blank so as not to betray any emotion. He tried a different tactic.

"Why would you tie someone up," he began, keeping his voice barely louder than a whisper, "when you hate it yourself?"

Azula's confident façade cracks a little, but she holds it up long enough to turn away. As she walked off, Azula thought again of weaknesses and not going against someone who knew them.

* * *

_Azula looked around the recreation room at the other patients also shuffling their feet along. She tried to focus her concentration on a single target but her mind wouldn't let her. _

_"Stop eating the medicine they feed you," Azula heard someone say directly into her ear. _

_Azula was so doped up she couldn't even summon the concentration to swat at the voice. _

_"Stop eating it. You'll feel better, I promise."_

_Later, Azula sat alone in her ward and stared at the meal placed in front of her. Next to it was the cup of coloured pills that she had been consistently tipping back without a thought. Clarity was now returning to her senses and the fog in her mind was disappearing. She hadn't a notion who the owner of the voice was, but his advice kept ringing in her ears and she was compelled to obey it._

_ Uncovering a corner of her bed sheet, Azula dug into the mattress until there was a hole big enough to hide the pills. Then she waited for the nurse to come back for her tray. Out of the corner of her eye, Azula noticed the nurse inspecting her medicine cup and was careful to keep up the illusion of drowsiness until the nurse had gone. When the last of the retreating footsteps in the corridor had faded, Azula went back to the corner of her bed to examine the pills, unable to believe what how stupid she had been. _

_A few days passed and Azula kept up the ritual of hiding her mealtime medicine while feigning catatonia. In truth, it wasn't hard to mimic the zombie-like shuffling movements of the other patients around her. Soon, she found herself back at the rec room laying her head lifelessly on a pai sho table. She watched through hooded eyes as another patient shuffled his feet slowly over to her table and laid his head similarly on the table. His eyes were sharp and aware as he waited for the nurses to be out of earshot before he spoke. _

_"Hello, Azula." _

_It was the voice that had pierced through the drug-induced fog that once clouded her mind._

_"I'm Lee."_

_She waited until another nurse walked past them before acknowledging his self-introduction. Still keeping her eyes to the patterns on the pai sho table, Azula only had one question for Lee._

_"How did you know?"_

_Instead of answering her question about the pills, Lee launched into an outline of what sounded like an operation. _

_"Work with me, and I'll tell you. Do you see that big nurse there? When she walks past us, I will retch out my breakfast. As she bends over to clean up the mess, I need you to take out a hairpin from her bun while I distract her long enough for you. Make sure the other nurses don't see what you're doing."_

_Before Azula could disagree with the plan, there was vomit on the floor. Lee put on an act of moaning in pain, falling over on his side and crawling under the table. Sure enough, the nurse bent over next to the table, exposing her hair bun directly to Azula. Without hesitation, Azula nicked two hairpins and tucked them up her sleeve. _

_Once the floor was clean, the nurse dragged Lee out from under the table like a rag doll and placed his head back on the table next to Azula in the position he was before he vomited. Lee keeps his head down in the way the nurse left him, so his words are a little muffled. But Azula hears him well enough._

_"Did you get it?"_

_"I got two," Azula whispers back, noticing the muscles in his cheek twitch in what might have been a grin. _

_"I owe you one."_

_"No," Azula says as Lee slowly rises his head up so that only his eyes are seen. She looks at him dead straight in the eye. _

_"This is a debt repaid."_

* * *

As soon as Azula was a distance away, Sokka quickly kicked out the small knife secretly embedded in the sole of his boot and freed himself. Searching his own body, Sokka found that Azula had taken not just the knife on his belt but the one hidden in his shirt.

Sokka frees himself from the rope and runs after Azula. The next few moments pass like a blur. He tackles her but cushions her fall with his body. He holds her palms down to the ground, his head between her arms.

"You can't just run away from me like that. A deal was a deal, Azula."

She twists his hands so that now she was the one pinning him down.

"What's to stop me from burning you to ashes right here on the ground?"

Sokka bares his teeth in annoyance before turning her over so her back was to the ground. This time he pushed the back of her hands to the ground and held his body over her. Even as he did this, he was careful about her injured hands and foot. But damn if he wasn't both angry at her foolish arrogance and at himself for noticing how well their bodies fit against each other.

"I cleaned the wounds on your wrist and bandaged them. I wrapped your twisted ankle myself. I fed you my meat! All I asked was for you to let me take you to wherever you need to go. You owe me."

"You want to take me back to where I am a prisoner in my own nation."

"I saved you from the man who tried to stab you back in Yu Dao. You owe me."

The words are out before Sokka realises it, and Azula's expression changes to an unreadable emotion.

"Get off me. Your bag is digging into my back." Then she sighs before saying, "I won't run."

Sokka lets go of her and sits up. They sit silently next to each other for a long time while the morning air swirled around the trees, a gentle breeze so opposite to the tension between them. Both their heads were filled with the implications of each other's words. Azula's life in the Fire Nation had been anything but pleasant. Sokka had been following her longer than she thought. Surprisingly, it is Azula who breaks the silence first.

"I will allow you the privilege of accompanying me. I will not burn you."

She looks up at him, her expression hardening.

"The debt is repayed," Azula continues before spitting out the last few words.

"I owe you nothing."

This time, Sokka decides to weaken the acid in her tone with softness on his part.

"Then get up," he says gently as he holds out a hand in an offer to pull her up. "I'll find you a staff that you can lean on so you don't overexert your ankle."

This time, it is Azula who becomes cautious. She becomes wary of the kindness from a stranger with hauntingly blue eyes. She eyes the open hand reaching out to her suspiciously.

But eventually, she lays her hand in his and lets him help her.


End file.
